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If to you grip strength is all about holding on to farmers walk handles then you are correct however there is more to it.
Grip Strength is defined as how tightly you can hold something. It is defined as “the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength”.
Your hands and forearms play a part in every resistance exercise and are even more crucial in strongman. You are only as strong as you weakest link and if you cannot hold the weight or object, then you cannot lift it. Having a poor grip can limit you training capabilities which can cause muscle imbalance and even injuries. Grip strength is also associated with a number of health indicators:
Overall strength – it is an excellent indicator of overall strength.
Heart health - statistics from The PURE Study that tracked over 150,000 subjects over 17 different countries.
For each 11-pound decrease in grip strength, there was:
A 16% increase in deaths from any cause
A 17% increase in death from heart disease
A 9% increase in the risk of having a stroke
A 7% increase in the risk of having a heart attack
Cognitive function – believe it or not but people with good grip strength have a better score for working memory, processing speed, and verbal ability.
Mobility – studies have shown that people with poor, limited mobility or physical limitations have lower grip strength.
Bone density – low grip strength has a direct correlation with low bone mineral density and meaning you are at higher risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in later life.
We have the perfect test of grip strength (in fact all over strength) the Cerberus Strength Replica of The Famous Dinnie Stones. The Dinnie Stones are the most famous of the Scottish Stones of Strength or Testing Stones and are located at Potarch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. There are two stones with a combined weight of 332.49 kg (733 lb), the larger stone weighing 188.02 kg (414 lb 8 oz) and the smaller stone weighing 144.47 kg (318 lb 8 oz)
